SexTech New York Hackathon

America's first SexTech Hackathon HELD ON 10th of JUNE 2017

In the next few decades, our sex lives will undergo incredible change. By 2020 sextech is predicted to be a multi-billion dollar industry, and some will go as far to say a trillion dollar industry. A DIVERSE RANGE OF VOICES AND IDEAS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO CHANGE THE PATRIARCHAL DYNAMIC OF THE BOOMING SEXTECH INDUSTRY. IT’S TIME TO CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE, HEALTHY FUTURE OF SEXUALITY!

What Is SexTech?

Most simply, SexTech is any technology designed with the intention of enhancing human sexuality and human sexual experience.

Why Should You Care?

Innovations in sextech will allow us to experience, express, and understand our sexualities in ways we never thought possible!

The SexTech Hackathon. What’s That?

A "hackathon" can mean many different things. The aim of the day is to bring together a diverse group of talent to test new business ideas, and, in some cases, develop early stage technologies.

It’s a 1-day event in which all members will collaborate intensively on creating sextech products. Unlike other hackathons that may require some coding expertise, we are open to all skills and experience levels. Gathering together with a group, you will innovate, and depending on the expertise of the team, try to create a working product. At the end of the day, you will pitch a product or simply a vision of what you are going to create - as a presentation, web-site, app, prototypes, etc.

Who Can Participate?

SexTech Hackathon is open to all, but aimed to support new female-identified leaders to drive further innovation in the field. We welcome anyone interested in elevating the voices and perspectives of women in sextech, whether you’re a designer, developer, marketer, entrepreneur, project manager or even therapist or sexologist.

We are especially seeking to make space for women-identified people, although we support inclusion of all genders and sexualities. We believe this emerging field of technology is not only driven by women-identified technologies and thinkers but also presents an opportunity to change the cultural conversation and attitudes toward female sexuality.

Program Format & Schedule

Kicking off on 10th of June 2017, 10am Saturday morning, with a round of lightning talks from inspiring mentors. We will form teams according to categories of interests. You’ll spend the afternoon working together to bring your project to life, and finish the day pitching your creation to a panel of mentors.

Schedule:

9:30am - Registration

10am - Lightning talks

11am - Team formation

12:00pm to 6pm - Work on your projects

6pm - Pitching and Feedback

~8pm - Celebration, networking

This is a pre-schedule, check back for updates!

Categories to work at the SexTech Hackathon:

Health (awareness, treatment, prevention etc.)

Education

Pleasure

Communication

Social

Etc.

While we recognize sexuality is a diverse field, we will not be accepting hack teams for anything related to pornography or entertainment.

Main Prize

Galvanize is a 21st Century school for entrepreneurs, engineers, and data scientists. On eight campuses across the U.S., the energy, intellect, and ambition of Galvanize students, members, and alumni are at the heart of a learning community that promotes belonging, and that celebrates courage and growth. Our faculty and flexible blended-learning platform, combining part-time online education and in-person training, provide the most relevant and in-demand technical skills to anyone with the smarts, drive, and grit to re-skill, up-skill and define success on their terms. Our members include first-time entrepreneurs, growing startups, and Fortune 1000 companies all looking to level-up.

Sponsor

Since 1971, The Pleasure Chest has firmly believed that everyone has a fundamental right to pursue sexual fulfillment. With a sleek aesthetic and a sex-education centered approach, the Pleasure Chest creates a specialized shopping experience in a judgment-free environment both online and in their boutiques in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Pleasure Chest’s objective is simple: help people discover the best sex of their lives.

FAQ

What do I need to bring? A working laptop, and a desire to contribute!

I can't code - can I still attend? SURE! In fact, a well-rounded team of different skill sets might just give you the advantage!

How big are the teams? We find that a team of three to five works best. It’s large enough to have diverse skills, yet small enough to get to know your team members well in a short space of time.

What if I sign-up alone or don't have a group? Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone attending. Groups will be formed on the day, there will be lots of time to mingle and get to know other attendees.

Will there be food? No:( Unfortunately, we won't provide dinner/snacks. Bring a bit of food with you! We will provide drinks only.

Speakers & Mentors

Bryony Cole, The Future Of Sex podcast Bryony is a sex futurist who currently hosts the sex tech podcast Future of Sex and works as a researcher and strategist in future human and technology fields. Originally from Melbourne, she currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Laura Kingsley, ThoughtWorksLaura is a consultant software developer for ThoughtWorks, where she builds custom software applications for a variety of companies and organizations. She passionately promotes gender equality in technology, sexuality, and the combination of the two. Laura uses art and presentation to facilitate conversations about sex from a communication, pleasure, and anatomy perspective.

Mal Harrison, Director of Center for Erotic IntelligenceMal Harrison is a clinical sexologist, educator, coach, TEDx speaker, and the founder of Center for Erotic Intelligence. Previously, she served as resident sexologist and advice columnist for the Museum of Sex, where her research on the internal clitoris went viral, heralding her a pioneer of clit-feminism and changing the way women understand how their bodies work.

Kris Jandler, Co-founder & CMO Emojibator Kris is the cofounder and Chief Marketing Officer of Emojibator, the original eggplant emoji vibrator company. Since launching her first business in 2016, Kris' work has been featured in 100+ publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Buzzfeed, and Mashable. Her professional background includes strategic branding and marketing operations for tech startups, nonprofits, and millennial political movements.

Mentors

Irene Ryabaya, Co-Founder of MonarqIrene Ryabaya is an accidental feminist and the co-founder of Monarq – the funding focused incubator for gender diverse teams. In a past life she coded risk systems on Wall Street, traveled around the world and now spends all her time hacking the gender ratio in tech and startups.

Estrella Jaramillo, Co-Founder and BizDev of BwomEstrella is communications, marketing and business development specialist with over five years of experience. She is the company's rep in the US. Bwom is an app for women's intimate health and offers users a test, an evaluation and data-based, personalized care plans with pelvic floor exercises, tips, habits and a tracking tool

Bryan Stacy, Co-founder & CEO Biem Health5 years ago, Bryan was diagnosed with testicular cancer and chlamydia on the same day. Since then he’s talked with 100’s of people about crushing the fear that causes bad sexual health behavior. He used his experience as a digital consultant to the world’s top brands, to create Biem, the world’s first virtual sexual healthcare clinic. With the Biem app he looks to set a new standard for sexual health expectations between partners.

Andriy Yaroshenko, Co-founder & CEO Fantasy AppAndriy is the co-founder of Fantasy - the dating by fantasy and lifestyle app, and SEX.Prostir - an educational TED-like event about human sexuality. Certified sexologist. Professional background includes 8 years experience in digital marketing and building award-winning digital products/startups for global companies like Kimberly-Clark, Johnson & Johnson, Danone.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us via the contact form below.

Partners

ThoughtWorksWe're a global technology consultancy. We help you invent what's next, and bring it to life with technology

Future Of Sex Podcast The Future of Sex Podcast is a podcast that explores the evolving worlds of sex and tech.

The Center for Erotic Intelligencereframes our collective understanding of human sexuality and human connection. Currently in colleges and universities around the world, with future expansion to membership based e-learning offerings, CEI's educational programming offers four main pillars of erotic education empowerment: sexual and reproductive health, pleasure education, consent education, and relationship education which includes social and emotional intelligence development.

Biem - Sexual healthcare can be awkward. Biem makes it better. From the comfort of your home, talk with a sexual healthcare doctor, get tested for STDs, and show partners verified results on your phone.

Bwom - is an app for women's intimate health and offers users a test, an evaluation and data-based, personalized care plans with pelvic floor exercises, tips, habits and a tracking tool. Bwom helps women improve their sexual experience and heal dysfunctions, as well as other issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain, and recovery after birth.

Fantasy - dating by fantasy and lifestyle app for couples and singles who are in ethical non-monogamous relationships. Our values are health, sex-positivity, deepening of feelings and mutual consent.

Monarq - Monarq Incubator is the first women-focused incubator in NYC on a mission to grow a pipeline of fundable innovative women-led companies. We build diverse networks, accelerate revolutionary ideas and fund women-led startups.

Starta Accelerator - the Accelerator’s main mission is to introduce startups with East European R&D roots to best practices, trusted advisers and mentors, and overcome cultural differences through a customized educational program that help startups to gain traction in U.S. and become part of the local startup and investing ecosystem.